Love & Marriage (FeathersxSapphic Addict)

[Feathers]

Anastacia twisted the keys in the ignition, stopping the soft vibrations running through the candy apple red Mini Cooper. The wedding hadn't been one of her ideal uses for a perfectly lazy Saturday night, but after a solid three months in this town even she knew it was time to get out of the house. It wasn't that she was anti-social, far from it. She wouldn't have landed the job that she had if the ability to communicate was foreign to her, after all. She was beyond appreciative for the job in more ways than one. To be able to land a Junior Director position straight out of high school was unheard of, so despite any protests that she harbored the choice as to whether or not had been an easy one.

While the choice itself was easy, living with it had been less than. The several hundred mile movement had stranded her in the middle of a suburban desert far away from anyone she knew or cared about. Throughout her teenage years she had dreamed of her first steps out into the world, but never had she thought those first few steps would feel this lonely. The more she thought about the whole situation she realized that if she had the chance to do it over, she would have still taken the job but in a much different manner.

Sliding her legs out the open door first, Ana smoothed the thin red silk around her knees before pulling herself out of her modest car. The dress itself was brand new, the first real splurge since she had arrived her three months ago. Jeans, tshirt, and the occasional denim mini skirt was enough to get her through her daily routine of work to going home alone and working on her sketch book until it was time for bed. Paper isn't really judgmental about your fashion sense she was happy to find out. But the occasion demanded something more than that, so however much fun she was going to have tonight at least she got an expanded wardrobe out of it she reasoned.

The heels of her strap on sandals clicking as the cement of the walkway turned to the tile of the lobby, she glanced around the room nervously. "Great" Ana muttered to herself at not being able to spot a single person that she knew. What she hoped to turn into a chance to get out and be social was looking more and more like a recipe for awkwardness. "Ma'am? Invitation, if you please?" The usher's voice broke into her thoughts, causing her to jump with a start. Reaching into her matching red purse and handing him her invitation she smiled softly, as if expecting him to come to the realization that she didn't belong among Armani suits and Versace Dresses that already were gathering in the room beyond.

"Ah, Miss Mercier. Your charity does some wonderful work. I hear the Viscountess herself is a particular fan. Please, right this way. We were instructed to take care of whatever your party needs. Don't hesitate to ask. May I start you off with something to drink"

"Just a sparkling water, please." Ana said, again nervously glancing around from the nearly empty table that she sat at. Whatever happened, at least whatever did had to be more interesting than late night cop shows.

 

[Sapphic Addict]

Nat looks at the fine, gold watch on her left wrist and smiles, always having enjoyed these little events that made her happy. Helping people that truly needed the help was something she was very passionate about, and after so much charity work, she was pleased to be able to attend a generous donor's wedding.

Leaning against the back of her driver's seat, she whispers to him, "Go round the block and let me get my heels on, eh?" Her accent is English, although considering her high upbringing, isn't as rich and high-society as most would expect, especially from a hereditary title like hers.

The driver, always looking out for his mistress, guides her Aston Martin around the block, giving Natalie enough time to get her shoes on and adjust her dress, yawning a little before stretching and rubbing her hair a little. She looks into the mirror of a compact pulled from her small, black leather purse, and carefully arranges her hair to look a little less styled and more natural, not being much of a fan of false impressions. After all, she could afford to ignore people with her money safely tucked away in enough investments to keep even a noblewoman like herself happy for the rest of her life.

Pulling up in front of the event, she waits while her driver gets out and comes around the back of the car before opening her door, "Have a nice evening, ma'am."

"I fully intend to, Saxon," she replies with a warm smile. "Please take the car to the event's parking lot and feel free to indulge a little with the other drivers, but remember not to drink. The United States has a very low tolerance for drunk driving, remember."

She gives her driver a chaste little kiss on the cheek before stepping past him and approaching the entrance. As she does so, the maître de anounces, much to Natalie's annoyance, "Lady Natalie Olivia Westingham, Viscountess of Chilmark!"

Grumbling silently to herself, always hating the fuss people make over she being a real, honest-to-goodness noblewoman, the young Lady Westingham enters the reception and smiles politely to all the people that begin to look for an excuse to rub shoulders with a traditional, titled noble.

Oh, what I'd give for a quiet table and a good, old fashioned gossip, she thinks to herself, pushing a lock of her dark hair out of her eyes with one hand and shaking hands with the other.

 

[Feathers]

Losing herself in silent contemplation, Ana wondered if this glass of sparkling water happened to be extra bubbly or if it was just a more expensive brand than she was used to. Probably the latter, she silent decided. If you paid more for your water it was logical that you received more bubbles as a trade off, right? She was about to debate the pros and cons of an extra helping of carbon dioxide in beverages when the loud voice of the Maitre De pulled her from her thoughts. While she had no idea where the supposed royalty was from, the string of titles did sound very impressive, she decided.

No less impressive than the royalty herself, as she glided into the room in a manner that HAD to have been practiced in the past. As the throngs gathered around the girl, she caught a couple precious glimpses of the mysterious girl, looks well worth the effort from what she saw. Her pale skin and white dress gave the lithe girl the air of an angel descended from heaven, while the black hair cascading down her neck sort of gave her a black halo. It was a very interesting effect, and she wondered if it was made that way on purpose, or did she just 'come together' like that?

Waiting till Nat's head turned her way, she raised her hand from the table, giving her a small wave. The limb immediately feel back to the table dejectedly as the Viscountess's attention was pulled by a member of her new enterouge. Wait, didn't the Usher say something about her being a huge contributor to her charity? She should probably go up and say a couple words, certainly. Just business, of course.

Pulling herself up and holding the wine glass full of sparkling water like it was the finest champaign, Ana made her way to the edge of the group. The Viscountess was even more exquisite up close than from across the room. Close proximity usually made the flaws in people all the more apparently, but all Nat was left with was that same maddening perfection that she saw earlier. "Just business" she reminded herself softly. The was no room here to let people think that she was interested in something other than that.

Waiting her turn patiently as the crowd thinned out, Ana was surprised to suddenly find herself face to face with the angel. "Oh.....Hi. Crap! I mean nice to meet you, your majesty." Ana fumbled. She was good at getting contributions from a class of people much, much lower than this. What the hell do you even call someone that could buy most of the state you lived in? "I mean....Viscountess. I heard you are a big fan of our charity, and I just wanted to say a personal 'thank you'. I'm sure the children that you helped us help would say the same thing."

Taking her hands and giving it a gentle shake she finally relaxed a little, giving Nat one of her signature soft smiles. "I'm sure you must get that a lot, but I really mean it. You're awesome."

 

[Sapphic Addict]

After the near-endless flood of well-wishers, ignoring completely the fact that they were at someone else's wedding and not at one of her own events, Natalie breaths a sigh of relief as a patient and pretty, young lady extends her hand and starts her conversation with 'crap!'.

The viscountess can't restrain a soft giggle and her smile beams across to the young girl, taking Ana's hand in her own soft fingers and shaking it gently, "I think your majesty is a little much for England, let alone for this event. Please, just call me Natalie? And you are..?"

She looks into Anastacia's eyes, meeting her gaze with a warm, welcoming one of her own, and her smile never falters. Nat enjoys meeting 'normal' people far more than she does the snotty, high-society 'toffs' of the world. Unlike the idle-rich, normal people have to work hard to succeed, an act that has long been highly respected by the young viscountess.

Tipping her head slightly as she waits for the reply, Natalie cannot help but brush her little finger along that of her admirer, having no real secret intentions behind the act, but finding it a small, but electrically charged moment in time between the two young women.

 

[Feathers]

As Nat returned her greeting, it was with more than a teeny bit of shock. Far from being talked to like a child as she had feared, the girl seemed to be just as much of a normal, well adjusted person as Ana herself was. "I'm Anastacia Mercier. But you may call me Ana, or 'hey you', that works too. Especially around the office with some of the more......senior directors." Ana said, meeting the gaze of the Viscountess.

The touch of Nat's fingertip on the back of her hand drew it's own series of goosebumps down her arm. Mildly scolding herself, she made herself not to look to deep into in, no matter how much her mind wanted to lose itself in Nat's soft skin. "I like your dress, it fits your figure very nicely. You look like an angel." she said, glancing around them as she remembered that they weren't alone. "Hey, I'm kinda here alone......would you like to sit down? I know you have to get back to the people with the suits that cost more than my salary, but I'd like the company if only for a couple of minutes."

Ana's hand still wrapped in the soft handshake gave a playful tug of the arm attached to it. "I have only the best tap water at my table anyway. Why drink something older than you are anyway. I think your lips look sweet enough as it is." she blurted and immediately blushed at the lose of decorum. "I'm sorry.......I was just saying that you are pretty. I'll shuttup now, ok?"

 

[Sapphic Addict]

Is she flirting with me, Natalie wondered, smiling with genuine affection for the adorably awkward conversation Miss Mercier was initiating. What a charming and open person this young woman is.

Nodding to the invitation, Nat smiled more sweetly and chuckled at the blurted compliment and stammered semi-retraction – which did nothing to lessen the honesty of the statement and only further colored Natalie's perception of this socially awkward woman.

She was also quite aware that neither of them had made any move to break their handshake, which was initially surprising, but now a very pleasant feeling. Delivering the subtlest of squeezes to the soft hand in her own, she allowed Anastacia to lead her to the unoccupied table. Perhaps it because she too felt awkward at some of these functions, or maybe it was because she was surrounded by strangers herself, but she found a quick kinship with Miss Mercier, more than happy to sit to one side of her, rather than in the challenging but less socially capable position on the opposite side of the small, four-seat table.

"Please don't?" Nat said softly, once seated, gesturing for a serving girl to approach. "It's been far too long since another beautiful young lady showed interest in me that I've almost forgotten what it feels like. But please, at least share in one glass of champagne, and then I'll gladly intrude on your table all night – if you'll have me?"

Natalie wasn't quite sure if she was flirting herself at that point, but the idea of spending a pleasant few hours idly chit-chatting and laughing with Ana Mercier tickled her to the core, wondering just how much more there was to this bubbly, but nervous woman.

 

[Feathers]

Ana had a smile on her face that hadn't seen the light of day since she had walked away from everyone she knew or loved and moved here. "My water isn't good enough? Snob." She gently ribbed Nat. Such openness was unusual for her, but as she joked her mind went off on a tangent as it considered why this woman made her instantly comfortable with herself. As they sat down side by side it was only with some reluctance that her hand left Nat's own, trailing her fingers down her palm as they parted. "I would love both a glass of champagne and someone to share it with. And.....thank you. It's been far too long since someone called me beautiful without being condescending. And you're not so bad yourself" She said, trailing a finger down the girl's bare forearm.

And beautiful Nat was, Ana decided. Which only served to remind herself about the lie that she had been living to fit in with her more Biblical colleagues. If they ever found out who she preferred under her sheets, then her job might not be as secure as she would have liked. But even with the pairs of eyes surrounding them Ana couldn't force herself to pull the emergency break. Nat was one of the more intriguing people she had ever met and ever little bit Ana found out about her only served to increase her hunger for even more.

"I was about to give up and ask for my own bottle. If I was going to have to be here alone, at the very least I could get out of it was a free meal and a nice buzz, right? Well, now it looks like I don't have to be alone but I'm not quiet ready to take the getting buzzed option off the table yet. I'm sure you came here for the same reason I did, a tragic social obligation that was hard to turn down. I'm glad I said yes now." Ana said softly, looking into Nat's eyes as she spoke. She was searching for more than one answer in her soft green eyes, a reaction that would tell her something about Nat that she already suspected. "Because I get to spend it with you."

 

[Sapphic Addict]

"That's very kind of you to say, Ana," Natalie replies to the flood of compliments from this increasingly confident young woman. "Tell me, are you always this 'shy', or only around women you might be attracted to?"

The viscountess grins, flashing her perfect teeth as the server comes around, pausing while Natalie orders a bottle of champagne. With the server leaving again, she turns back to Ana and reaches out with her left hand, resting it lightly on Ana's arm, "I often can't stand these events. The pressures of being nobility, especially in a country that should really despise my very position, rather silly to be honest. You'd think after just 200-odd years, Americans would still hate us hereditary nobles, but nope! Your fellow countrymen go all gooey at the knees at the idea of someone even as low-ranking as a viscountess. I'm barely above a baron!"

"So, when you're not moonlighting at high society events and chatting up English ladies, what do you do with your time?" Nat asks with a small little smirk, her tongue peeking out for a moment as she licks the center of her bottom lip, perhaps as a reflex, or was it perhaps an invitation…

 

[Feathers]

A bit of pink rose in Ana's cheeks at the comment. Swiveling her head as casually as she could, she took a moment to make sure the wrong person didn't hear something that she wasn't ready to admit. Was she really being this obvious, that Nat could see through her like a window pane. "I'm.....well.....I'm always me. The company might be.......better......than who I normally hang out with. It's been a while since I've been able to speak openly. You can guess how it is, Catholic Charity and all. You being beautiful has nothing to do with it" Ana confessed with a knowing smile, pausing as the server slid up to the side of their table.

"And it's not about you or your title. Everyone wants to be a prince or princess when they are little, and you are the closest thing that most people will ever get to that. Like your title is not only hereditary, but also contagious. I'm not in any danger of contracting a case of Baroness by talking to you, am it?"

Ana's fingers made small circles around the knuckles of the hand on her arm. While it might possibly look innocent to a bystander, in truth the touch was sending shivers through her body. Nat really did know exactly what she was doing, didn't she? "I...ummm...work, then I go home. That's pretty much it." she said, hastily adding a bit more lest she look incredibly boring "I just moved here a couple months ago. It's kinda hard to get out. I like drawing actually. It's a way for me to get the things I can't say out of my head. What about you, Mil'ady?"

 

[Sapphic Addict]

Natalie chuckled at the idea of contracting a barony, her soft laugh like a musical intermission in their conversation, "No, I don't believe I'm contagious anymore, although I did make a man think he could be a Duke once, but that might have been the whiskey he was drinking."

"And you have my sympathies about the Catholic issue," Nat continued after Ana paused for her answer. "Sometimes the microscope can get a little too close for comfort, and it's not pleasant to be under the scrutiny of some hack from the local rag looking to score what he thinks might be the 'next big story'. Thank God I'm only a viscountess. If I were someone important, say sixth in line to the throne or something equally as horrific, I'd be under paparazzi surveillance every day!"

Natalie made no move to stop the pleasant, stimulating circles being drawn on the back of her hand. She seemed to find the entire process very enjoyable, glancing down at the roaming finger several times during the exchange, "Drawing? What do you draw, may I ask? I've never been much good with my hands – at drawing or painting, at least – but I took up photography a few years ago and now I think I'm reasonably good. I like to walk around the estate and record the seasons, both in landscape and in little vignettes of the world within the grounds. And of course there's the dressage: a rather posh sport where you and a horse put on a very disciplined show. I'm hoping to be in London next year for the Olympics, competing against your country, in fact."

Natalie very gently squeezed Ana's arm, took a deep breath and sighed in contentment. She lowered her head slightly as she looked into Ana's eyes, blinking slowly and then smiling. Whatever signal was passed, it was perhaps more cryptic than anything ever passed between two people before, but it was nevertheless charged with unspoken feelings and words; an attraction between two souls in the middle of a wedding reception…

 

[Feathers]

"Against the USA? So this would technically fall under fraternizing with the enemy. Darn, now I'm not only a gossip magnet, I'm a security risk." Ana smirked, not letting the little things that passed between their eyes drop for a second. "I draw whatever interests me. Whether it be an interesting flower, or a colorful bird, or a majestic landscape, I know what I like when I see it. When you don't receive many opportunities to sneak out and find something you really enjoy, you tend to recognize the truly remarkable when you first see it." Ana said, turning the hand drawing circles on Nat's upside down and beginning to slide it under the viscountess's fingertips. "......the remarkable and beautiful. Inside and out."

Ana knew where the writers of the old Disney cartoon drew the source of their mystique for Cinderella. Almost Effortlessly the woman across the table was drawing her in, and the more Ana thought about it, the more she didn't want to fight that gravity. Had this been a guy, heaven forbid, she would have guessed this was a game and walked off long ago. But the gleam in her eyes and the way she quirked the corners of her mouth told Ana that this wasn't a game, and there was an honest to goodness princess across from her interested in the Ana that she kept hidden from everyone else.

"I know what Dressage is. I might be but a commoner, but I still get around a little" Ana smiled, finishing the slow gentle slide of her hand underneath Nat's. Bringing her cloth napkin to her mouth the brunette gave a petite cough, before bundling it up and placing it in front of the joint hands. Giving the hand a tiny squeeze, her serene smile said more than her lips ever could. "But I'm going to pretend like I don't. Because from this angle, your dressage looks fantastic." she said with a soft giggle, giving a comical dip of her eyes for good measure.

 

[Sapphic Addict]

Natalie returned the gentle squeeze with one of her own, her thumb duplicating the circling motion around the knuckle of Ana's index finger. She takes a slow, deep breath and her eyes seem to sparkle for a moment, dilating slightly as emotions and thoughts surge through her.

The Prince and the Pauper came to mind for a moment, the aristocratic thoughts quickly being crushed into oblivion by Natalie's modern upbringing. How dare I think such things, she scolded herself. This is not a pauper, but a beautiful woman whom I would very much like to know better. Stop being such a snob!

"Normally, I don't really like flattery," Natalie confessed quietly, leaning towards Ana a little, "but in this instance, I think I like it… but don't tell anyone else though, okay? I'd hate for everyone to think I've gone soft and gooey over just anybody."

"Do you think you'd be up to a portrait or two, Anastacia?" the viscountess then asked more lightly as another wedding guest passed their table. "I've yet to commission an official portrait, and while it IS rather decadent, I'm wanting a painting rather than a photograph. Is that terribly old-fashioned of me, or worse, rather gauche?"

 

[Feathers]

The words come out sharper than she had first anticipated. While the thought of their obvious class and wealth differences had popped up in her mind, they had yet to become the monsters that they could be down the road in a relationship. Why was she even thinking that Nat would want that, let alone that she would even remember herself at the end of the night? But the indignation that Ana was expecting never arrived, and her dining companion was soon back to talking and she was back to listening with rapt attention. Or rather, the natural order of things Ana decided. Getting a little lost in Nat she failed to think of a single kind of person that couldn't have been fascinated by this woman.

Ana waited until the guest hustled out of ear shot, drinking in the sparkle of Nat's eyes in silence. "Just anybody? I can't be just anybody, unless you are normally in the habit of finding 'heavily closeted American charity workers at a wedding alone' on a routine occasion." Ana said, tilting her head and becoming unable to suppress her wide toothy smile. Even though nothing had passed between them greater than a couple of glances and a smile, she was beginning to feel almost drunk of the raven haired woman. "Soft and gooey is nice though. Prim, proper, and serious rarely has anyone to cuddle with when it get's cold. I'm not a flatterer anyway. It's an American thing, something about being much too busy to worry about what irrelevant people think. You, my dear, are not irrelevant, which makes everything I say a genuine compliment. About the art........"

"Well that depends on if it's an official portrait or not. If it's official, please call my pretend secretary and we can set up an appointment in my imaginary studio. If it's because you would like to see how you look through my own eyes I would be thrilled. I might have to buy more 'Angelic' paint however. A small price to pay, really. Of course the question would indeed become gauche if it were the former option though, wouldn't it?"

 

[Sapphic Addict]

Angelic paint, oh I'm going to curl up and cuddle that one for hours, I'm sure, Natalie thought as she smiled and spoke softly, "I'm sorry if I made myself misunderstood. You are certainly not just anybody, Anastacia. I very much consider you much more than just anybody."

"And I certainly don't see you as the 'heavily closeted American'," she adds with a lowered gaze and an even warmer smile, one that not-quite smoldered across the space between them. "I think I'd prefer to think of you as, hmm, the beautiful American I just met and would like to get to know better. How does that sound? Have you ever visited England before? Do you have some vacation time coming up? Perhaps I could commission you to do a portrait at my place? And of course, it only needs to be as official as you desire it to be… may I call you Ana? If so, please call me 'Nat'."

Can I steal you away from here and take you a fairytale mansion and we feed each other grapes like the romans did, she added in her head.

 

[Feathers]

"I.....I have like four weeks vacation time a year." Ana said breathlessly, wondering if this was really happening. Fairy tales were great, but they never crossed the boundary between the page and the real world. But here her princess was, offering to sweep her off her feet and whisk them off together to parts unknown. By the smile on her face, it was an offer not made in jest either. Turning her head and scanning the room with her eyes for someone from Human Resources, someone that she could notify that she wanted to drop everything for the Angel across from her.

"Its hard to think when you look at me like that Nat." Ana said sweetly, looking at their joined hands to get away from those wonderful eyes of her new friends. "I can't say that I've ever visited England. Something that I was missing out on, if you are any indication. How many more gorgeous royalty are running around there?"

"Ahem" Ana cleared her throat as she finally mustered up the courage to meet Nat's oh so tempting smile. "It sounds absolutely wonderful, and I would love to do a portrait at your place, if you would have me. And I would love you to have me." she added, a bit of pink flowing into her cheeks at the sudden bout of boldness. "How official do you want it to be? Is it all business or......." she asked, trying not to make a fool out of herself before falling for this woman completely. "I want to know everything about you, you are so fascinating it's almost haunting, you know that?"

 

[Sapphic Addict]

"Goodness, four weeks is barely enough time for me to show you the sights and for us to enjoy the days with one another," Natalie says with a smile. "Perhaps if I make an extra-special donation, your employers might be persuaded to allow you to take a sabbatical for, say, three months? Perhaps even longer?"

"Please, Ana," Natalie holds up her hand with a slightly more serious expression, although the smile can still be seen, the corners of her mouth always lifting up in warmth. "As a viscountess, I think I would be considered something like 2,500th in line for the throne, if at all. There are people that have no official titles at all that are closer to the throne than I am. The title of Viscount is pretty much one of the lowest of the noble peerages, higher only to Barons. Today it's pretty feeble, and I only go to the House of Lords a few times a year to keep my seat or talk about things that are important to me."

Leaning forward a little more, Natalie decides not to notice the whispered, more passionate flirt, and smiles before answering the last of Ana's questions. "I think I'm pretty boring myself, but if you're looking to learn, grabbing your easel and coming to England would be one way of doing it."

 

[Feathers]

"I don't think they would complain too much if you want to rent out a certain junior director. I'm not called a junior director because I have to make the big decisions honestly. I'm sure a couple zeros at the end of a one would make whatever strings you wanted to add to the donation pretty silly by comparison."

"You see, you keep saying that, but I still don't believe you. You are drop dead beautiful, sharp as a razor, and are succeeding at getting the pretty American to drop everything and fly back with you. If that doesn't say princess, I just can't imagine what does." she said, lifting a finger and brushing the corner of Nat's lips as if she could steal that warm quirky smile. "I love that about you, that you fight for what you love. This charity probably couldn't have done it without you. I.....I just want to see if that transfers to the 'little' important things. And in the grand scheme, I'm pretty little"

Ana cleared her throat, letting Nats hand go as she raised her arm out in front of her. Presenting her hand to the princess she made it official "My dear, I would love to come to England with you for all the time that we could spend together. I accept. And if I get there and there are 16 more Americans that you told the same thing to, I'm going to be ticked off"

 

[Sapphic Addict]

"Goodness no, I don't keep my Americans all in one place, dear," Natalie replied with a bright grin of mirth. "I hide them in the barn and the wine closet and the dungeons when I have a new one to add to the collection."

The viscountess shook Anastacia's hand, "Miss Mercier, I would be very honored to have you join me at Chilmark Manor for a while, to further discuss the portrait project, and to show you around my body… of work."

Nat blushed, color flashing across her cheeks and her eyes widen as she realizes the implied innuendo of her statement, although in hindsight, she realized that perhaps it had been an intentional pause, a response to Ana's own subtle cues and phrases that reflected the viscountess' own burning attraction to the American.

"Oh my, I do seem to be opening my mouth without thinking first, don't I?" she chuckled, squeezing Ana's hand before reluctantly releasing, the waitress returning with a silver tray on which a bottle of champagne and two flute-glasses are perched.

With the drinks poured and the waitress once more out of earshot, Natalie holds up her glass to Anastacia, "To a most productive time together…"

 

[Feathers]

"There are worse things than being hidden in a wine closet, no? I'm in the closet here already, might as well get tipsy while I'm at it!" Ana joked back. This is nice. she thought to herself. After all those months spent alone, she wasn't about to let the only girl in the world out of her sights. Even if she had to fly across the Atlantic to follow her. Really, what was there to keep her pinned down in this place anyway besides the job? Even then, strings could be pulled in just the right way.

"I can see your body is perfect already" Ana blurted, causing the waitress to look up curiously. Turning her own shade of bright red she fought the desire to crawl under the table for the rest of the night, instead trying to avoid looking at her server until she left. "You aren't the only one who speaks without think it looks like. But if I'm going to be over there as long as you say........I'm pretty sure we will be pretty familiar by that time."

Raising up her glass and clinking it together she smirked "At least I hope so. I take pride in my body of work, and I do so love sharing."

 

[Sapphic Addict]

"I am definitely looking forward to showing you around the estate, Ana," Natalie said with a smile that, she hoped, reflected the enthusiasm she felt for the forthcoming visit. "I take it that your passport is all in order, and that you're not on a no-fly list? If I need to, I can smuggle you into Britain in a tea-chest."

Grinning, the viscountess sips her champagne before setting the glass down again after the toast, "So you are here somewhat over protest then? Not the social butterfly I would so easily assume you to be, being so pretty?"

 

[Feathers]

"Totally good to go! I've renounced my terrorist ways and have embraced the Western lifestyle! As part of getting out of Guantanamo Bay, they cleared my record" Anna giggled, finding her companion's enthusiasm was contagious. "And that's more than slightly ironic. Two hundred hears after the Boston Tea party, British royalty sneaking the rebels back to England in a tea chest? The Queen would have a heart attack. Really though, I can hardly wait." She said, her smile faultering for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. "Do........do I need to pretend to be a long lost cousin or something? I mean.....do I need to pretend that I don't want to lose my dress when we walk in the door? Not sure of the 'Royal code of conduct' "

"I'm definitely not anti social, don't get me wrong. But I feel like a fraud here. I can't really open up to any of my co-workers for fear of letting something slip. It's a lonely life, and for the past couple of weeks I've been thinking if it was really worth the day check. Thank you, Princess Natalie for reminding me that there is side benefits to the job" Anna said, draining her glass in one long gulp and motioning to the waiter for a refill. Suddenly self conscious at the compliment, her hand brushed her hair away from her face nervously. "Thanks. It's not easy being so pretty........crap that came out wrong. I'm totally not that shallow. But when you work with men that want to fuck you, how can you say you'd rather have sex with the girlfriends that they are trying to cheat on instead without hopping out of the closet. It just ends up awkward."

 

[Sapphic Addict]

"You don't need to hide anything or pretend at the estate, and most of my close friends already know my sexuality. I've not 'come out', as we like to say, but I'm not apologetic about it either," Natalie said with an understanding smile, one corner of her mouth upturned in agreement with the need to sometimes hide behind a facade. "Goodness knows what would happen at the House of Lords if they found out."

"And just so you know, Ana, you can be as shallow as you want. I'm a decadent bitch when it comes to comforts: my pool must be at 82 degrees; my champagne must be chilled to no more than ten degrees above freezing; my bed must be big and soft and full of pillows," the viscountess leaned forward, head turned a little so she could look at Ana through the corner of her eye. "And I like to warm my blankets every evening."

The young noblewoman felt her cheeks flush at the rather blatant sexual flirting, and tightened her lips around an embarrassed smile for a moment, before sipping her champagne and then whispering,"Oh dear, I'm being rather cheeky, aren't I? I do apologize."

 

[Feathers]

"As 'We' like to say? Maybe my own invisibility shield is too perfect but I know a thing or two about half coming out" Anna chuckled softly, resting her hand on Nat's to let her know that there was no offense taken. "But I'm guessing if they found out a beautiful charming woman such as yourself had take up with a common American woman, it would be quiet the scandal. But if there is one thing I can guess, it's that the whole lot of elderly lecherous would go to bed that night wondering just how you look before you fall asleep in my arms."

"I'm not quiet so picky. Tragically, my non existant butler refuses to come no matter how many times I call. But seeing as how I'm going to be a guest in your house, I think it's only fair that I pitch in a little. I would be glad to take up your blanket warming duties in the evening to the best of my abilities. It's not an imposition, really. Would the princess like me to wear a uniform, or would the usual nothing I wear to be be satisfactory?" Anna joked. "And don't you dare stop. Please. It's been.....been a long time since I felt like this." she said, looking at Nat from the corner of her eye as her fingertip traced the edge of her rapidly draining glass. "Though I still wonder who's fault that is. If I find myself falling for someone, did I make that first leap or was I pushed?"

"Attention, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen. All rise please for the start of the Wedding Ceremony." The head usher announced with a voice that boomed throughout the hall.

Taking the opportunity, Anna slid her chair beside Nat's spot and stood beside the raven haired beauty. Feeling comfortably anonymous as the crowds took turns glancing at the wedding arch at the front of the room and the door that the bridal party would emerge from, Anna slipped an unnoticed hand into Nat's. "So....I get to see your house. Would.....would you like to see mine after this?" she whispered nervously. It had indeed been a long time since she had done this.

 

[Sapphic Addict]

Natalie seemed to ponder the last question for a moment before giving a little smile, characteristic of her after a secret thought, "Well, it would certainly make sense in visiting your home in order for you to pick up some luggage before heading for the airport. It's four hours to Newark and then another seven-and-a-half to Gatwick, and then two hours by jag to Chilmark Manor."

Giving the grasping hand a very gentle, possessive squeeze, the viscountess glanced over, whispering, "And you'll need your passport, of course. But don't worry, as a member of the House, I have priority through security and we'll be through the ridiculous shoe and body scanners in no time. I'm rather excited to be even considering having a house guest! It's been rather longer than I first thought and I'm a little rusty."

"As for my Peers, let them ponder the significance of my having an American guest in my home," she added with a soft hiss, and gripped Ana's hand more tightly. "I'm my own woman and I'll not have some eighty-year old stuffed shirt dictating my life!"

Natalie went slightly pale, embarrassed and shocked that she'd so easily revealed to Ana how passionate she could be about something, even in a whisper, "Hope I don't come across as a total loony now, Ana?"

 

[Feathers]

"I'd ask you to remind me to bring a book for the trip, but something tells me that I'm going to have something much better to pay attention to......." Anna smirked, the possessive squeeze on her hand feeling like heaven itself had sent a token of it's love. "I hate customs anyway. It's all about whose hands are doing the searching. I can think of a much better pair than a 40 year old civil servant's. I'd be super glad to search you too!" Anna practically bounced in place, the excitement getting to her. Remember where she was, with a small glance around her she pressed up to Nat's side as the flower girl made her way down the aisle.

"I.....I really like that attitude. Fighting for what you love is one of the most beautiful things ever, don't you think? God knows I've been too quiet here for far too long. I think it's time for me to be less quiet, because some things are worth the trouble it might cause" Anna said, looking into Nat's eyes as she dropped whatever pretext of watching the bride and groom walk down the aisle. "We're probably both loonies, I hope you realize that. As long as they locked me in the same padded room with you, I'd be okay with this..........."